A Really Big Show
I just got back from the Mustang 45th Anniversary Show in Birmingham AL. My first assignment back was to pick up my ten-year old daughter from a friend’s. I pick her up and as I get ready to back out of the driveway, top down, in the ‘05 GT, a fast car goes by. I say to Nori, “Let’s go chase the Mustang.” Without a pause, she says, “Dad, that’s a Shelby.” And she was right. Kids!
Ed Sullivan (if you’re my age you’ll remember, otherwise, flip the Iphone sideways and start Ask.coming) used to say, “Tonight we have a really big shew.” Well, the 45th was.
One of the most impressive sights was actually observed when we were leaving the first night. Stretched along the side of the exit road from Barber Motorsports were hundreds of Mustangs lined up for a little cruise down the streets. Now this train went on for a mile. There was every model including old and new, Shelby and Roush and Saleen, pace cars, police cars, show and driver. I only wish we had our car there to participate.
We, of course, vended our parts and I ran reports for customers. But the best part was getting to see old friends. Sometimes, years go by. In fact, Bob Gaines commented the last time we saw each other was five years ago at the 40th. We both agreed there won’t be a whole lot more of those “five years” time segments. Bob Perkins came over and shared another treasure trove of material he’d found from Fran Hernandez. He loaned me several books so chock full of history about the height of the muscle-car era, I didn’t have time to absorb it all.
I was walking down one of the aisles where parts were being sold. A hand waves for me to come over. Its Ed Meyer, who also has a bunch of fresh discoveries. He’s got a document that confirms what I showed him in a movie I bought recently. When the assembly line workers were painting engines, the exhaust manifolds were already installed. They received their share of Ford Blue. Its just that by the time we started paying attention to engine restoration, that paint’s been burned off.
Bo Durban, who runs the http://www.mustangdecoder.com website was showing the big enhancements he has planned for the website. Soon, not only will you get your tag info decoded, dozens of facts will be at your fingertips like what the bore and stroke of your engine is, along with its horsepower, casting numbers of all the major components, and pictures. If your car was painted Candyapple Red with a Decor interior, you’ll even see pictures of a Canyapple Red car with Decor interior. How cool is that?
Gary Hanson of the T-5 Registry, Wolfgang Kohrn of the fabulous www.ponysite.de (es ist sehr gut!), Denny Mondrach from Ford Licensing, Jim Wicks talking to me about the Mid-America Shelby Meet in a couple of months. Dozens of other people Wow! And then the thousand plus Mustangs.
If there was a complaint, its that Barber Motorsports is so hilly, it was hard to see the whole show at the same time, to take in the immensity of it all. Still, there was a tram to at least save the dogs from getting too tired. Shelli and I walked around and met some fabulous people. Jason Miller has an original paint 1971 Boss 351 that he let me sit in. Untouched down to original paint daubs on all the suspension pieces. Bob and Ed should have paid him a visit! There was a fantastic Meadowlark Yellow ‘68 CJ there. It graces the cover of the current NPD catalog.
Speaking of CJs, we met another man with a ‘68 who asked me if a carburetor he was considering buying would be date-correct for his car. I gave him some info, he gave us a couple of T-shirts and a hat. You see, he’s a Harley dealer in Shenandoah VA. Now that is important to my wife. She’s planning on dyeing her hair all gray, then brading it and hoppin’ on a Sportster to do the Dennis Hopper thing!
Next to our vending space were the guys from Gateway Classic Mustang. What a great group. You’ve probably caught them on Hot Rod TV or know that Sammy Hagar has called the Mustang they recently did for him the “New Red Rocker.” They let me drive their newest creation. They’re working with Chad McQueen, Steve McQueen’s son, on a Dynacorn-based Bullitt car. That was a ride. Flatter than my ‘05. And going around an S-curve for the first time at 65 MPH in second gear, the fantastic suspension had those tires planted. Be watching for it at www.gatewayclassicmustang.com. If you want to see the car, be at the Mid-America Shelby Meet June 24-28. Jim Wicks just about has Shelli and me talked into going.
There’s just too much to say. I understand why Steinbeck wrote Grapes of Wrath with the “stream of consciousness” method. There’s so much packed into life. So I better end since I’ve got some work to get caught up on. If I don’t, some of you will be calling, asking where your order is! 
See you at the 50th. Now that will be a REALLY BIG SHEW!
